The sorption and loading of liquid and supercritical CO2 into chewing gum base spheres with
radii of 0.5 cm was experimentally explored over the temperature and pressure ranges of 25-
45 degreesC and 70-276 bar, respectively. Maximum loading amounts were found to be independent
of temperature and to increase with increasing CO2 density. The time required to achieve
maximum loading decreased with increasing temperature. A loading as high as 0.094 g of CO2
per gram of gum base was achieved. The sorption process was modeled by unsteady-state radial
Fickian diffusion assuming a constant diffusion coefficient at a particular temperature and
pressure (CO2 density). Volume changes of the polymer blend spheres under the conditions
explored were small and ignored in the modeling. Sorption diffusion coefficients were on the
order of 10-10 m2/s and increased with increasing temperature and CO2 density.